The present invention relates to vehicle visors and particularly to an extender panel attached to a visor with a hinge connection.
Current vehicle designs typically provide relatively large upper windshield areas due to the raked aerodynamic design of the vehicle. As a result, the passenger compartment requires significant sun blocking for the comfort and convenience of a vehicle operator or passenger. Many visors, particularly in relatively compact vehicles, are somewhat small and, as a result, supplemental sun blocking protection is desirable. Several designs have been employed for custom visor systems that provide laterally extendable panels as, for example, shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,989,910, 4,925,232, 5,951,091, 5,431,473, D U.S. Pat. No. 335,482, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,186. Such visors provide supplemental sun blocking protection but can be relatively expensive and require significant tooling for the original manufactured visor to accommodate such panels. Also, with the continuously cost-conscious automotive industry where cost and weight constraints for vehicle components is becoming increasingly severe, it would be desirable to provide a sun visor with auxiliary sun-blocking capabilities in an economical system which would allow installation on any visor design without the necessity of requiring specific tooling for visors for each vehicle model.
The visor of the present invention satisfies this need by providing an extender panel which includes a mounting bracket which can snap-fit into any existing visor panel and which includes a hinge structure which allows its positioning between a closed position adjacent and overlying an existing visor panel and an extended position extending outwardly and in a plane generally parallel to the plane of the visor to which the extender is attached. The mounting bracket includes mounting tabs which lockably attach the extender to the visor and a hinge coupled to an extender panel including bias means for holding the extender in closed, open or intermediate positions.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the extender panel includes an integral pivot rod and the mounting bracket includes a bias spring coupled on one side of the mounting bracket and having a hook extending through the mounting bracket and engaging the pivot rod on the extender panel for coupling the extender panel to the mounting bracket and allowing rotation of the extender with respect to the mounting bracket, which, in turn, is snap-fitted to an existing visor panel. The extender panel and mounting bracket interconnection may also include a cam for detenting the extender panel in open, closed or intermediate positions. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the hinge between the mounting bracket and extender panel can be an over-center, integrally molded hinge to provide the desired control of the extender panel.
These and other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following description thereof together with reference to the accompanying drawings.